English senior Joshua Capodarco has won the College of Liberal Arts Stark Award, which was created based on a generous donation from Dr. Matthew "Matt" Stark, a former professor at the University of Minnesota and former executive director of the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union. The award recognizes a CLA student who has demonstrated "distinguished service, writing, teaching, involvement, or public leadership in one of more of the following areas: civil liberties, civil rights, public education and social justice." The honor is presented annually at the December CLA Commencement Ceremony and carries with it a financial award of $1000. Capodarco has an extensive background in service learning, taught English in Senegal (he wrote about it here), and is currently serving as undergraduate TA for the English course Literature of Public Life. Congratulations Josh!

Alumnus Garrison Keillor (BA 1966) stopped by the English course "Introduction to Creative Writing" last week and told students: "The world is waiting to hear from you. We're bored with our own generation." More....

The Department of English's Creative Writing MFA Program is ranked 14 in a listing of the top 50 MFA programs in Poets & Writers's November/December issue. The ranking is based on an on-line list maintained by poet Seth Abramson and based upon research and MFA applicant surveys. The top 20 ranking reflects the Program's (and the Department's) dedication to full-funding for each MFA candidate, the strength of its faculty (60 plus books published in a decade), and the impressive record of alumni accomplishments. Cheers!

The Department is pleased to present the first in our 2009-10 eNow!
series on public engagement NEXT MONDAY OCT 5 at 2:30 pm in Lind Hall 207A.

The Publicly Engaged Classroom: Service Learning & Beyond!
English professors Josephine Lee and Ellen Messer-Davidow, PhD alumnus
Mitch Ogden, and long-time English service learning instructor Eric
Daigre (PhD 2001) will discuss and provide models for courses
incorporating service learning components, publicly engaged scholarship,
and other classroom engagement possibilities.

Professor Lee has included service learning components in drama and
Asian American Studies classes. Professor Messer-Davidow has taught such
publicly engaged classes as GWSS 4502/ENGL 4090 Women and Public Policy
and ENGL 1907W Social Texts (to read her syllabi in advance, email
sutt0063@umn.edu). Daigre has taught ENGL 3505/06 Community Learning
Internships since the course was conceived by Daigre and former
professor Tom Augst, as well as ENGL 3741 Literacy and American Cultural
Diversity. Ogden incorporated a service learning component in his
Introduction to Shakespeare course, as a graduate student here.

Join us for chocolates, a glass of wine, and a lively discussion!

Please join the English Department for various discussions and presentations on Public Engagement and Service- Learning. The following link will bring you to dates and times for these events:

http://english.cla.umn.edu/engagement/events.html

Monday, Sept. 28 9-10am 207a Lind Hall
With Bagels, Fruit and Juice!

Want to research something you love? Want to create a curriculum for your future teaching career? Want to study more in depth something you've learned in class? AND would you like to get paid $10/hour for it?
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) is your chance to work with a faculty mentor on a creative activity or research project with financial support from the University of Minnesota. UROP Students receive stipends of up to $1400 and expenses of up to $300. UROP is available to ALL students in ALL colleges. Come to Lind 207a to hear from past English UROP Students and Professors. Don't let this opportunity pass you by!

Thousands of students and faculty across the University have already discovered the benefits of these hands-on research opportunities in laboratories, studios, libraries, and field sites. Participating students have developed detailed knowledge of research methods while their faculty sponsors have gained the assistance of enthusiastic and capable students.

To find out more about undergraduate research and the UROP program, visit http://www.research.umn.edu/undergraduate/. Application materials for UROP are available on the web at http://www.research.umn.edu/undergraduate/UROP/urop_how_to_apply_2.htm. The application deadline for Spring 2010 projects is October 5. If you have questions about UROP, please contact Rebecca Rassier at rassi003@umn.edu.

UROP ALUMNI!! Have you participated in a UROP project that pertained to your English major? If so please send a short description of your project that details your experience in order to help fellow English majors with their literary research and endeavors. Please send information regarding your UROP project to Emily Claypool, clay0114@umn.edu.

Please Welcome International Exchange Students in English studies for 2009-2010: Xu C. (China), Hyoeun C. (Korea), Jeongwon L. (Korea), Maria F. (Austria), Joo Yun L. (Korea), Manuela N. (Austria), Silvio G. (France), and Morgane D. (Belgium). Some are here for fall semester only, others for the full academic year. They are taking a variety of courses in literature, American Studies, ESL, writing, business, and other subjects.

The Undergraduate Studies Office in the Department of English would like to welcome three new student staff members to its office for the 09-10 Academic Year.

Both Raven H. and Moira P. are working as peer advisors. They are excited and eager to work with our staff and with students! Stop by Lind Hall 227 to meet Raven and Moira and ask them any questions you have about the Department or yours courses.

We would also like to welcome Emily C. as our Research Assistant!

We are thankful to have such great students working with us this semester. Remember to stop by Lind Hall 227 anytime to schedule an advising appointment or just talk with our students and staff.

Five current or recently graduated English BAs contributed to the August-September issue of Alive Magazine, a national publication by and for young women that kicks the usual "celebrities, sex, and dieting" content to the curb. Two are Alive interns who wrote and/or designed for the issue: Regan Smith (BA '09) and undergraduate Meghan Hanson. Former Alive intern Jamie Joslin Millard (BA '09) is now Alive's development director. Spring '09 graduates Allie Riley and Derek Swart also wrote for the issue. All but Riley were members of the 2009 Ivory Tower staff, Hanson as co-Editor-in-Chief; Riley published a poem in the latest Ivory Tower, which is the undergraduate literary magazine of the University of Minnesota created by a year-long English course.

The Dirt Riddles, a debut collection of poetry from Michael Walsh (MFA 2006), won the inaugural Miller Williams Poetry Prize from the University of Arkansas Press and will be published in 2010. His fiction can be found in the 2008 anthology Fiction on a Stick (Milkweed Editions). . . . Matt Burgess (MFA 2009) will publish his debut novel Dogfight with Doubleday in fall 2010. . . . Lightsey Darst (MFA 2003) publishes her first full-length collection of poetry Find the Girl with Coffee House Press in spring 2010. Her chapbook Ginnungagap is available now from Red Dragonfly Press. . . . Erin Hart (MFA 1995), the author of Lake of Sorrows and Hallowed Ground, presents the new mystery False Mermaid (Scribner) in spring 2010. Congratulations!

Edelstein-Keller Professor of Creative Writing Charles Baxter publishes a review of Katherine Anne Porter's Collected Stories and Other Writings (Library of America) in the June 11 New York Review of Books. "There has been a tendency among quite a few of Porter's critics," Baxter writes, "to criticize her life instead of her work and to give it low marks." While acknowledging the flatness of her novel Ship of Fools, Baxter compares her best short stories to Tolstoy's, "unsurpassed in American literature in their genre."

Three English BA graduates are among 14 University of Minnesota students (10 undergraduate and four graduate) who received Fulbright grants for 2009-10 to pursue graduate study in a foreign country. Daniel Groth, a 2009 summa cum laude candidate for a bachelor's in English, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Grant to South Korea. Groth will assist in an English language classroom in a secondary school. Groth's long-term plans include medical school, and he intends to learn about South Korea's health care system. Carmen Price, a 2008 summa cum laude graduate in English and German studies, has received a Fulbright Full Grant to Germany. At the Free University of Berlin, Price will take graduate-level courses on intercultural education and will conduct research on German educational initiatives aimed at increasing immigrant and minority representation in higher education. She will also volunteer as a tutor in the community. Jenna Rose Smith, who graduated in 2007 with a bachelor's in English and studies in cinema and media culture, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Grant to South Korea. Smith will assist in an English language classroom in a secondary school, and will pursue her interest in Korean language and film. Smith also plans to volunteer with a community organization serving people with disabilities. Congratulations!

The Graduate School awarded Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships for 2009-10 to the following four English PhD students: Sara Cohen for "Medical Screening: Illness, Cyber-bodies, and Digital Death in 21st- Century Visual Culture" (advisers Paula Rabinowitz and Siobhan Craig); Molly Kelley Gage for "Sorting Scraps: The Archive and the Future of Democracy" (adviser Paula Rabinowitz); Kevin Riordan for "Dying Words and the Mechanics of Haunted Reading" (adviser John Mowitt); and Sharin' Schroeder for "Non-consensus Realities: Fantasy and the Child in Victorian Religious Debates" (adviser Brian Goldberg). . . . The Graduate School also awarded Thesis Research Grants to PhD students Amy Griffiths, Nicholas Hengen, and Laura Zebuhr. Congratulations!

Adam Schrag has received the Graduate School’s Leonard Film Fellowship. Steve Healey will teach next year at Michigan State University as the CIC Postdoctoral Fellow. Anne Roth-Reinhardt won the Ruth Drake Dissertation Fellowship. The first Garner/McNaron/Sprengnether Dissertation Fellowship goes to Renee DeLong. Emily Anderson received the Samuel Holt Monk Memorial Prize for Published Scholarship. The two winners of the Audrey Christensen English Library Acquisition Prize are Sunyoung Ahn and Gregory Murray. Donald Swanbeck won the FLAS Fellowship for this summer and the coming academic year. Congratulations!

The Graduate Research Partnership Program Fellowships this year go to: Sara Cohen for "Watching While Looking Away" (Project adviser: Jani Scandura); Molly Kelley Gage for "Sorting Scraps: The Archive and the Future of Democracy" (Paula Rabinowitz); Eun Joo Kim for "Modern Structural Shifts and Postmodern Concerns: Reading the Korean Language in Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's Dictee" (Jigna Desai); Joshua Mabie for "'Finding the Place': T.S. Eliot's Search for Dwelling in the English Landscape" (Edward Griffin); Edward McPherson for "America, 1899: A Novella" (Charles Baxter); Joshua Morsell for "Threats, Bombs, and Frame-Ups: The Dirty History of the Timber Wars" (Dan Philippon); Kevin Riordan for "Noh Archives and the Global Repertoire" (Josephine Lee); Maurits Van Bever Donker for "Writing the subject after Apartheid, or learning to 'learn to live'" (Quadri Ismail); and Jewon Woo for "'Feel Right': Creating the Culture of Critical Sympathy and the Amistad in 1839" (John Wright)

The Graduate School awarded Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships for 2009-10 to the following four English PhD students: Sara Cohen, Molly Kelley Gage, Kevin Riordan, and Sharin' Schroeder. The Graduate School also awarded Thesis Research Grants to PhD students Amy Griffiths, Nicholas Hengen, and Laura Zebuhr. . . . The Graduate Research Partnership Program Fellowships were awarded to: Sara Cohen, Molly Kelley Gage, Eun Joo Kim, Joshua Mabie, Edward McPherson, Joshua Morsell, Joshua Ostergaard, Kevin Riordan, Maurits Van Bever Donker, Jewon Woo, and a DOVE GRPP to Davu Seru. . . . The first Garner-McNaron-Sprengnether Fellowship for summer research was awarded to Renee DeLong. The Ruth Drake Fellowship was awarded to Anne Roth-Reinhardt. The recipient of the 2009 Samuel Holt Monk Memorial Prize for Published Scholarship is Emily Anderson. . . . Adam Schrag has received the Graduate School’s Leonard Film Fellowship. Steve Healey will teach next year at Michigan State University as the CIC Postdoctoral Fellow. The two winners of the Audrey Christensen English Library Acquisition Prize are Sunyoung Ahn and Gregory Murray. Congratulations to all!

MFA candidates Colleen Coyne and Sheena K. Fallon each received a Gesell Summer Residency (two weeks) at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, Minnesota. . . . Winners of the Marcella DeBourg Fellowships ($1000) this year are Coyne and Eric Brownell. The fellowships are offered annually to Department of English graduate students interested in "giving creative expression to women's lives." Congratulations!

On Thursday May 7, English professor Julie Schumacher, the outgoing director of Creative Writing, was a guest on MPR's Midmorning show talking about the emerging writers who may be the next literary stars. Among her recommendations: Wells Taylor's short story collection Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned, Kao Kalia Yang's memoir The Late Homecomer, and Karen Russell's collection St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.

The English Department would like to invite you & yours to join us in celebration of the 2009 English B.A. Commencement.

Open House & Reception
Friday, May 8, 2009
4:00-6:00 p.m.
207A Lind Hall
207 Church Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

The celebration includes graduates and their guests, CLA advisers, and English Department faculty, instructors, and staff.

Please RSVP with the number attending by Monday, May 4, 2009 to Mona Fattah - monaf@umn.edu

Daryl Parks (BA honors 1994) was profiled in the Star Tribune Wednesday feature "Professor's life took dramatic turns; now he guides others." After his BA, Parks earned two more degrees at the University of Minnesota (MEd and PhD) and now is associate professor of literature and language at Metropolitan State University. . . . Adjunct assistant professor of English Michael Tortorello, who teaches Introduction to Editing, on April 1 started writing a gardening blog for the New York Times. . . . The Ivory Tower undergraduate literary and arts magazine (see above) is featured in the Minnesota Daily.

Brian Malloy (MFA 2006) won the Minnesota Book Award for young people's literature for his novel Twelve Long Months (Scholastic). The awards were announced Saturday April 25 at the 21st Minnesota Book Awards gala event in St. Paul. Malloy is currently teaching Introduction to Creative Writing for the Department of English. This year's nominations for the Minnesota Book Awards included books from three Creative Writing professors (Julie Schumacher, Charles Baxter, and Ray Gonzalez), two MFA alumni (Laura Flynn and Malloy), two MA alumna (Margaret Hasse and Alison McGhee), and one BA alumnus (Tim Nolan)

On Wednesday May 6th at 3:30 pm in Ackerman Hall Room 309 the Department of English will hold a workshop on the job search process for students at all stages in their graduate career. Participants will learn what the job search entails and how they might begin positioning themselves vis-à-vis this important process. Following the general workshop on the job search there will be a meeting for all students going on the job market in fall 2009. This second meeting will begin at the conclusion of the first. Those who are considering going on the market this year should attend both sessions.

The 2009 Gesell Award winners in creative writing are: Josh Morsell, Creative Nonfiction (Honorable Mention: Heather McPherson); Matt Burgess, Fiction; and Brian Laidlaw, Poetry. . . . First-year PhD student Donald Swanbeck (medieval field) won two of the very competitive FLAS fellowships to study Arabic during summer 2009 and academic year 2009-2010. . . . The 2009 ArtWords: Writing at the Weisman Contest winner, Graduate Category, is Brian Laidlaw for "Persephone Creates the Seasons," based on "Cross with Red Heart" by Georgia O'Keeffe. The Undergraduate Category winner is Misha Levchenko for "Justification for the Existence of Liars" based on "World's Fair Mural" by James Rosenquist. . . . Undergraduate Studies student engagement research assistant and English major Josh Capodarco won a President's Student Leadership Award, presented to approximately one-half of one percent of the student body for their exceptional leadership and service to the University of Minnesota and the surrounding community. Congratulations to all!

Are you a creative writer? Have you been published? Now is your chance.

Shooting Star is now open and looking for submissions of creative work. Shooting star is an online journal that is looking to publish undergraduate students' creative work in all genres. Shooting Start is particularly interested in genre-bending creative works!

Are you interested in submitting? You can send all submissions to fusemn@gmail.com.

You can visit Shooting Star's website by following this link

Charles Baxter's story, "Royal Blue," which appeared in the Spring 2008 American Scholar, has been nominated for a National Magazine Award. The winners will be announced at an event at New York's Lincoln Center on April 30. . . . Congratulations to MFA candidates Shantha Susman and Katie Leo, who were awarded this year's Academy of American Poets James Wright Prize in Poetry. The judge was poet Kathleen Jesme. Leo, who won the 2009 Scribe for Human Rights Fellowship, summarizes her activities in the Human Rights Program Update February issue.

The Imagine Fund Annual Awards this year became available to University of Minnesota faculty for research in the arts, design, and the humanities through a generous grant from the McKnight Foundation and new internal reallocations from the University of Minnesota Graduate School and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Of the 217 awards representing $651,000 in support, 16 awards went to English faculty. Our 2009 winners: Timothy Brennan, Tony C. Brown, Michael Dennis Browne, Evelyn Ch'ien, Siobhan Craig, Lois Cucullu, Maria Damon, Genevieve Escure, Ray Gonzalez, Michael Hancher, Qadri Ismail, Ellen Messer-Davidow, Paula Rabinowitz, Katherine Scheil, Charles Sugnet, and Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley.

Have you been abroad? Are you currently abroad? Now is your chance to tell everyone about your experience abroad.

The English Department is proud to sponsor a new blog entitled Tales from the Road Tales from the Road is an online resources for undergraduate English majors, minors and International students to contribute creative works pertaining to their experience "abroad." We are now accepting student submissions of poetry, fiction, non-fiction and all other genres that pertain to students international experience.

Did we mention that we are hosting a contest with a grand prize? All students that turn in submissions by May 6th will be entered into a contest to be judged for one of three prizes. The top literary submissions (as judged by our office) will receive a $50 gift card to the University of Minnesota book store. Two runner-up prizes will be given to second and third place submissions (this time its a $15 gift card to the University of Minnesota book store.)

Are you interested? You can find more information by visiting the website Tales from the Road Please send any questions concerning submission guidelines to englmaj@umn.edu with "Tales from the Road questions" in the subject line.

We encourage all current undergraduates with experience abroad to submit!

The winners of this year's Academy of American Poets James Wright Prize are Shantha Susman and Katie Leo. Both Shantha and Katie are current graduate students here in the Department of English!

Congratulations Shantha and Katie!

Shantha was awared the prize for her two poems "Franklin" and "Umbilicus" and Katie was selected for her two poems "Miss Saigon Wants a Well-deserved Vacation" and "Oppenheimer Dreams and Island."

The judge was poet Kathleen Jesme. Jesme is the author of three booksof poetry:
The Plum-Stone Game - 2009 from Ahsahta Press
Motherhouse, 2005, winner of the 2004 Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Prize from Pleiades Press
Fire Eater - 2003 from University of Tampa Press.

Have you had your creative work published recently? Whether it was in an online journal, literary magazine, etc., you should feel proud of your work!

We are interested in recognizing students with published work by posting their information on our website! If you have had your work published within the last year please send an e-mail to englmaj@umn.edu with "Student publications" in the subject line and outline what you published, where you published it (please include a link to the online resources if available) along with your year in school, major(s) and minor(s) and full name.

We look forward to hearing from all of our accomplished writers!

Congratulations to English Major Mark Brenden for being published in the online literary magazine Pike Magazine! Mark had a short piece of fiction published in April's installment of Pike Magazine. Check his story entitled "Until the Dancer Comes in a Short Short Dress" by clicking on this link.

Mark's work has been described as "dotted with fresh adverbs and adjectives, a talent for which must be attributed to more than simply one's native land."

Congratulations to Mark (yet again) for his success, courage and drive!

---

Have you ever heard of Pike Magazine? Pike Magazine is an online literary magazine created and run by University of Minnesota English alumnus Brooks Doherty! Brook's work, along with Mark's story, are just a few great examples of what English majors can do with their education!

Are you a creative writer too? You can submit works for publication by visiting Pike Magazine's website and clicking on the "Submit your Pike Art."

The Fellowship of Undergraduate Students of English (FUSE) is looking for new leadership for next year's group. Have you always thought of yourself as a leader but haven't had the time to get involved with FUSE? Now is your chance. FUSE is accepting applications from any undergraduate English major or minor that is interested in leadership. You can find a list of the officer positions below:

All Officer Duties
-Regular attendance of FUSE meetings is required. There are approximately 10-15 meetings per semester (negotiable based on class or prior obligations). Officers should be involved or up to date in some shape or form.

-Attendance of Officer meetings at designated by the president (maybe once a month or 3-4 times per semester).

Individual Officer Duties Breakdown
President:
-Collaborate with other officers to make sure tasks are being accomplished.
-Coordinate officer meetings.
-Support/problem solve and oversee tasks
-Oversee the election of new officers for following year
-Maintain contact with English Department as needed for collaboration on activities including Book Exchange or other projects.

Event Coordinator:
-Create and implement events for FUSE
-Coordinate set up/take down for each event
-Work with PR officer to make sure event is well advertised.
-Events can include but are not limited to: FUSE movie nights, workshops, live performance attendance, etc.

Meeting Manager:
-Schedule meeting time and place for weekly Fuse meetings.
-Help guide discussion and topics of meetings.

Public Relations/Marketing:
-Market student group by creating fliers or other forms of advertising.
-Manage Facebook group, blog, and e-mail list.
-Work with all other officers to get information about FUSE programs that should be included in all forms of communication.

Additional Officer (as needed)
-Assist in any tasks needed from other officers.
-Participate in idea generation.
-Help fill in for roles when others are unable to.

To Apply
-Turn in a list of ALL positions that you are interested as well as a paragraph detailing your interest in the position as well as why you think you would do well at this position.
-Please include your name, e-mail, and phone number.
-Applications can be turned in to Stephen or Josh at FUSE meetings or in Lind 227.
-Applications are due by April 24th at 4pm.

Are you interested in FUSE? You can check them out by visiting http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=17727084512.

English department staff member Mona Fattah has been accepted into the Occupational Therapy Masters Program within the Center for Allied Health Programs (CAHP). She was able to complete the prerequisite coursework through the Regents Scholarship Program.

Warda G.!!! Warda is a junior double-majoring in English and African American and African Studies. She has been involved in community work through Jane Addams School for Democracy and Bryant Coyle Center. Warda has also been and active participant in the Al-Madina Cultural Center. Thank you Warda for your commitment to excellence and we hope that you continue your studies and community engagement!

Here is what she has to say about getting involved:

• Why is it important to you to get involved?

It is a great way to discover myself. Getting involved in the Twin Cities area has helped me see the diversity of this community and how I can both learn from it and contribute to it.

• How has getting involved changed your education?

Getting involved has broadened my frame of reference. Being a participant at Jane Addams School has changed what I thought of learning and teaching. The cross-cultural discussions and the diverse participant I have met there have influenced my decision to major in English literature and African Studies. I am also planning to study abroad in Kenya Fall 2009 and hopefully that experience will be useful in shaping my senior thesis as well as relating what I have learned here in the US to that part of the world where I come from.

• Has getting involved changed your career path?

Yes. When I transferred to the University of MN I was registered as Political Science major, during orientation I was with a group of CLA-English majors and I spent my first year taking Biology, Society and Environment major requirements and I did not know exactly what I would do with any of this! Working with Jane Addams School for Democracy and Brian Coyle Center has helped me understand my potential and set attainable goals. I still have not decided on exactly what I want to be, but being involved has helped me see what that could look like. I am hoping my experience in Kenya next fall will continue to influence my interests and lead to fulfilling career.

• What suggestions do you have for other students that are interested in getting involved?

Community Engagement Scholars Program (CESP) is a great program that helps you make the most out of volunteering. Talk to your professors or professors from your major, it’s a great way to find out major related areas that you can get involved in.

Thank you again Warda! Do you think you have what it takes to be next Month's Engaged English Scholar of the Month? Talk to one of your English professors and ask them to nominate you for this recognition. Also, you can contact Josh Capodarco (capod001@umn.edu) if you feel that you should be nominated but you can't find a professor. We look forward to hearing from all of you doing great community work.

Regents Professor Patricia Hampl's "The Dark Art of Description" has been selected for the anthology Best American Essays 2009. The essay was formerly published in the spring 2008 Iowa Review. . . . A story by third-year MFA candidate Ethan Rutherford was chosen for Best American Short Stories 2009. "The Peripatetic Coffin" first appeared in the spring 2008 American Short Fiction, which is currently featuring the story online.

FUSE is sponsoring a Book Exchange in Lind Hall 227. What, you may ask, is a book exchange? Simply put: Take a book, leave a book. Got any books you don't want anymore? Don't throw it away, put it in the book exchange box in Lind Hall 227 and check out the shelf in Lind Hall 226 for books that you might want in exchange (it's so literal!).

Now that Spring Break is over and you've had the chance to reflect on your semester (right?) why not look into some interesting things happening in the English Department this semester?

As always, the Fellowship of Undergraduate Students of English meets every Tuesday from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in Coffman Union. Plus, on March 31st FUSE will be powering a special MOVIE NIGHT. FUSE will be showing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (a film adaptation of Ken Kesey's famous novel) in Coffman 305. This showing is open to all students. Come for some snacks, some drinks and some Jack Nicholson! You can find more information by visiting FUSE's website.

Also, if you haven't already you might want to look into attending one of the Chair Search talks. This is your chance to get your voice heard about what the Department will look like in following years. Please contact Rebecca Aylesworth for more information regarding this opportunity.

As always, one of the best ways to get involved and meet staff and faculty is by attending events within the Department. One event that might interested potential writers is the event Celebrating New Books by English Faculty. This is your chance to meet with professors such as Maria Damon, Ray Gonzalez, Timothy Brennan and more! You can find more information by clicking on the following link here

The Department of English welcomes prospective graduate students March 26-28. Events scheduled include a faculty roundtable, library visit, tour of the Twin Cities, and meeting with graduate students. We look forward to meeting you!

MFA alums and an MFA candidate won three of seven 2009 SASE/Jerome Awards, sponsored by the Jerome Foundation, which grant up to $3,000 to emerging Minnesota writers. The winners: poet Michelle Matthees (MFA 2001), novelist Scott Muskin (MFA 1998), and current fiction third year Ethan Rutherford.

On Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 the Undergraduate Studies office hosted Cross-Cultural Ties: Students bringing the world together. This was a panel discussion geared at international and intercultural engagement. Students that attended had a chance to hear from Professors with experience abroad, Undergraduate students with experience abroad and International Students that are now studying in the U.S.

Panel members spoke about how their experience has changed their life and perspective! For example, on panel member said "the greatest thing about study abroad is that it does give you a new perspective on the world...it gives you a critical perspective. When you come back from abroad you can become a better citizen." This was just one of many amazing insights and suggestions that panelists expressed.

Many panelists suggested that international experience was essential for understanding your own role in our global system!

Do you want to know how you can get involved? You can always visit the Learning Abroad Center for more information about traveling abroad. Also, you can experience many cultures right here in the Twin Cities. Through service experience you can work with diverse communities without leaving the state. For service learning opportunities and volunteering you can visit the Career and Community Learning Center.

Thank you to all of our panelists for their knowledge and insight. We hope to hear from other English majors with their experience abroad and in Minneapolis.

If you would like to share your story about your international experience, or your experience here at the U please send an e-mail to Josh C. (capod001@umn.edu). Also, if you would like more information regarding the event please send an e-mail to Josh C.

On Thursday, February 26th, Students met with Study Abroad Alumni, Professors and Learning Abroad Center staff to learn more about the Study Abroad Process. In case you missed this event here is a run down of information you'll need to know.

If you're interested in Study Abroad you'll want to visit the Learning Abroad Center to learn more about where, when and how you can go!

If you are unsure where you want to go, and you may be scared about going for a full semester, you might be interested in a Global Seminar. Global seminars are 3 week long programs that introduce you to an geographic area, its culture and its language. Just a few examples include:

Global Seminar in Montpellier France (no previous experience in French required!)
Global Seminar in Grenada Spain (no previous experience in Spanish required!)
Global Seminar in New Zealand
Global Seminar in Dubai
Global Seminar in China

Also, you can prepare for a short trip through SPAN. SPAN helps you to design research abroad!

Also, here is what a few students have to say about studying abroad:

Allie R. "Learn as much about the program and the city you want to go to. That way you can make the most of it!"

Atoni T. "The year I spent abroad was the best experience of my life, the best year of my life."

Jeff. B. "The time I spent abroad was the best time of my life! I got to see amazing sights, travel to Ireland and France, and absorb new cultures all while earning course credit!"

Sam O. "My time abroad was life changing and enormously fulfilling. The relationships I developed and the experiences I had will be with me forever."

If you still have more questions about how you can study abroad, you can always visit your academic adviser!

The English Department Graduate Student Organization is holding a book sale! The Book Sale begins on Thursday, February 26th 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Lind Hall 1.

A rock bottom economy means rock bottom prices! Paperbacks are selling for 50 cents. Hardcovers and Anthologies for $1. And they said you can't get anything for a dollar.

Also, a special bag sale will occur from Noon to 2:00 p.m: All you can fit into one bag for 2 dollars!

Read your way through the recession! Stock up on cheap books.

The Undergraduate Studies Office in the Department of English is excited to host two new events this semester!

On Thursday, February 26th between 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. the English Department is sponsoring In Pursuit of Study Abroad Info Fair! This event will occur in Nolte 140 and will include free Mesa Pizza, drinks and snacks from Holy Land. The Learning Abroad Center will also be hosting a First Step Meeting during this time. Students will also be able to meet with Study Abroad Alumni, Professors with experience abroad and Learning Abroad Center members to go over all the logistics.

On Tuesday, March 3rd from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The English Department is sponsoring Cross Cultural Ties: Students Bringing the World Together. This will occur in Rapson Hall 56. This is your chance to listen to a panel discussion focusing on intercultural engagement in the English Department. Study Abroad Alumni, International Students and professors will all talk about their experiences! Free food and drinks will be provided!

If you were unable to attend the UROP meeting last Thursday, then you missed some amazing presenters (Thanks again!) and some fabulous Pizza Luce (Support local businesses!). Unfortunatly, we cannot recap the Pizza Luce experience. However, we can fill you in on some of the important details that you missed!

The submission deadline for UROP proposals is Monday, March 2, 2009. A great source for information, as well as the application, is available on the UROP website: http://www.urop.umn.edu/. Rebecca Rassier, the CLA UROP coordinator, who spoke at the panel, is a great resource for answers to questions and help along the path towards the application process. She can be contacted at rassi003@tc.umn.edu.

Dr. Donald Ross, who has worked with several English students in the past on UROPs and is in the process of working with another student on a UROP currently, spoke about how to approach professors as potential faculty advisors. Before you submit your UROP proposal, you have to have a faculty advisor that approves your proposal and has agreed to work with you. Dr. Ross cautioned against being afraid of cold-calling professors. It is all right to approach a professor about working with you on a UROP that you have never had a course with as long as the topic that you want to explore directly coincides with the professors own personal research – the more recent the better. Dr. Ross suggested checking the English faculty page (or the faculty page of any humanities professor) to see if their research compliments the work that you want to do in your UROP proposal. It may also be a good idea to have written your three-page topic proposal before you meet with your potential faculty, so that they have something concrete to approve. It is advisable to do a UROP on a topic matter that you have studied in at least one previous course. This will greatly strengthen your UROP application.

Sara Cohen, Josh C, and Adam Schrag spoke about the opportunities available through the Voices from the Gaps website, which is currently being remodeled. It’s an exciting time to get involved with VG, which specializes in researching the often underrepresented multicultural feminine voices of the 21st century. If this sounds exciting to you, contact Sara Cohen cohen224@umn.edu, Josh C capod001@umn.edu, or Adam Schrag atschrag@umn.edu for more information.

Direct general questions to Larisa G. gars0020@umn.edu

Kate Hopper (MFA 2004) contributed the entry "Afraid to Love Her Preemie" to the New York Times blog Motherlode February 12. Hopper writes frequently about mothering, writing, and teaching on her own blog Mother Words and teaches writing at the Loft Writing Center in Minneapolis.

Have you heard about the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program? The UROP is your opportunity to work with professors on a research project. This is your chance to build your research abilities (something that would look great on a Graduation School application). UROP's are open to all Undergraduate students with options for self-guided or professor run projects.

One unique opportunity within the Department of English is:
The University of Minnesota's award winning project Voices from the Gap is willing to host UROP students. For more information about UROP you can come to the UROP information panel on Thursday February 12th. Also you can check out opportunities by visiting the UROP opportunities website.

The Undergraduate Studies office in the Department of English is looking for students that are interested in event planning for two English Department events. We are currently looking for 10 students interested in helping to plan, coordinate, set up and staff two events focusing on Study Abroad/International Exchange.
The Undergraduate Studies office recently received two grants designed to increase awareness of study abroad opportunities and increase awareness of intercultural engagement within the Department. Below are brief descriptions of the grants and activities included in event planning:

The Innovation for Broader Engagement grant will introduce students to Learning Abroad Center (LAC) opportunities, to other students who have returned from abroad and to other ways to include international study in degree programs. Event planning for this event will include:
- coordinating a time and location
- contacting students, LAC staff, professors and other individuals as possible presenters
- buying material and food for event
- advertising the event.
- recording and documenting the event toward publicizing the possibility of international study within degree programs at the U of M.
Students with previous experience abroad are encouraged to apply for the Innovation for Broader Engagement grant event.

The Intercultural Engagement grant will introduce students and staff to the intercultural exchange happening within the Department. Event planning for this event will include:
- coordinating a time and location
- contacting students, staff and other individuals as possible presenters
- working on a creative project for presentation at event.
- buying material and food for event
- advertising the event, and
- recording and documenting the event toward publicizing the intercultural exchange happening in the English Deparment
Students with multicultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply for the Intercultural Engagement grant event.

These positions are unpaid and completely voluntary. However, this is your chance to get to know members of the English Department, work with professors and build your resumé with event planning and management experience. Five (5) positions are being offered for each event. These positions include:
- Chair – oversee all event planning and coordinate all members.
- Public Relations/ Communications – Contact students and staff members, design and put up posters, advertise event,
- Event Planning – setting up event/ pulling down event, staffing event
- Budget – Obtaining material, coordinating payments
- Recording – Written and visual recording of events, transferring written and visual material to Department website (must attend events). Students with technical experience in audio-visual programs will be given special preference.

Apply for a position (you may apply for multiple positions) with a resumé outlining your event planning experience and also a short letter (informal) describing the position(s) you wish to apply for and your qualifications. Please send all material to Joshua Capodarco (capod001@umn.edu) no later than February 12th. Thank you all for your interest and we hope to see all your applications

Samone !!! Thank you to Samone D. for your commitment to excellence! Samone is majoring in English and Communication Studies. She has been actively involved in several student groups and organizations such as [Shades of Red] HIV/AIDS Awareness Week, Orientation and First-Year Programs, and the Queer Student Cultural Center. She had also been a Community Engagement Scholar for almost three years, volunteering at the Minnesota Internship Center.

Here is what Samone said about getting involved:

• Why is it important to you to get involved?

I don’t think our education should exist in a vacuum. If you want to work for and with others to “make the world a better place,” there are plenty of opportunities for that right here in the Twin Cities.

• How has getting involved changed your education?

As a university student, it was easy to get wrapped up in academic achievement or my ability to get employed after college, but the volunteer work I’ve done gives me a “reality check” and helps me question the material I learn in the classroom.

• Has getting involved changed your career path?

I didnÂ’t become an English major because I wanted to teach, but IÂ’ve come to realize that I may only be happy if I work in an educational environment. Working on scholarships, housing, and college applications with students can be difficult work but I really enjoy doing it, so my future plan is to become a school counselor.

• What suggestions do you have for other students that are interested in getting involved?

I would recommend anyone who would like to make volunteering part of their college career to take a service-learning class and/or become a Community Engagement Scholar. You can reflect on experiences, brainstorm with other volunteers, and make friends. Who doesnÂ’t like that?

Do you think you have what it takes to be nominated for the Engaged English Scholar of the month? Contact one of your professions and ask them to nominate you. If you don't have a close relationship with a professor you can nominate yourself by sending an e-mail outlining your credentials to Josh C. at capod001@umn.ed. We encourage you to go out volunteer, attend student groups and more!

Professor Julie Schumacher's novel Black Box has been named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. . . . Nominations for Minnesota Book Awards include three Creative Writing professors (Schumacher, Charles Baxter, and Ray Gonzalez), three MFA alumni (Laura Flynn, Joe Hart, and Brian Malloy), two MA alumna (Margaret Hasse and Alison McGhee), and one BA alumnus (Tim Nolan). . . . MFA alumna Flynn, author of the memoir Swallow the Ocean, also took home a "Keeper" award in late January from Metro magazine. . . . 2009 SASE/Jerome finalists include MFA alums Michael J. Opperman, Scott Muskin, Margie Newman and Michelle Matthees, as well as current MFAs Libby Edelson and Ethan Rutherford. Congratulations to all!

PhD candidate Steve Healey published part of his dissertation project in the February issue of Writer's Chronicle. His article is entitled "The Rise of Creative Writing and the New Value of Creativity." Healey will be presenting "The Creative Writing Boom and the Poetics of Post-Industrial America" as part of our eNow! "Poetics, Politics, and Place" series February 23 at 2:30 pm in Lind Hall 207A. . . . Professor Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley was chosen a Spring 2010 Institute for Advanced Study Faculty Fellow for her project “Water, Shoulders, Into the Black Pacific."

Happy Holidays and Happy 2009 to all Undergraduate Students. At the Undergraduate Studies office we would like to wish everyone a happy new year and hope that all students will continue to bring excellence to the U of M English Department. This time of year is full of new things: a new year, a new president (!!!), and a new semester. This is your chance to improve on or change your involvement here at the U of M.

Just one of many ways to get involved this semester is to stop into the Undergraduate Studies office located in Lind Hall 227. You can meet with your academic adviser to discuss different ways to get involved and personally shape your education.

Also, you may want to check out the recently formed Fellowship of Undergraduate Students of English (FUSE). FUSE is a way to meet other English majors and have fun. This semester FUSE is looking for students that are interested in creating student interest groups. FUSE is open to all students and any interest. Please contact Stephen C. (cour0096@umn.edu) if you are interested.

This is just one of many ways to get involved. Feel free to stop by Lind Hall 227 and ask for the Peer advisers if you ever have any questions. Thank you to all students for their commitment to excellence this past semester!

The English Graduate Student Organization and the Nineteenth-Century British Subfield present a lecture by Professor Susan Wolfson of Princeton University: "Byron's Ghosts" April 16, 2009, 4pm, 207A Lind Hall. Support for this event has been provided by the Department of English, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, the Coca-Cola Activity Initiative, English Graduate Studies, and the College of Liberal Arts, Research and Graduate Programs.

The next Job Placement Workshop, which will cover the on-campus interview and debriefing from MLA interviews, will be held on Thursday, 8 January 2009, from 3-5 pm, in 207A Lind. If you're on the job market, feel free to email Professor Scheil or Professor Brown with any updates or last-minute questions.

I've visited indigenous ruins, climbed the Andes Mountains, bathed in thermal baths from volcanic hot springs, lived on an island in the Pacific Ocean, ziplined through the rainforest canopy, and straddled the equator. But beyond just exploring the country for fun, I've been learning so much about Ecuador's history and culture. Through the university program here in Quito, we've learned about the political, cultural, and economic history of Ecuador as well as its current issues in those areas. We've experienced the culture firsthand through our time living with host families. My Spanish has improved significantly since I've arrived. We were also given the opportunity to separate into tracks of study, and in the track of education I've learned vast amounts about the educational system in Ecuador and how it compares with that of the United States. I will also be leaving the capitol for a five-week long internship in which I will be teaching English at the high school and elementary level. Lindsay H.

Now that finals are almost over everyone will have a little bit more time to...READ! Yes, now that you don't have to read 100 pages a night for all your literature classes we know you'll be starting on that pile of novels you've been waiting to read all semester. Since you'll be reading anyways, why read alone? Try joining FUSE's Book Klub!

Book Klub is your chance to join other English majors/minors and regular people who just enjoy literature and talk about what books you're reading (and maybe even decide what books everyone else will read). Book Klub is open to all interested students and extremely interested in hearing what books students want to read!

You can find more information by visiting:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=35454372486

Also, please contact Ben Thur (thur0139@umn.edu) for information relating to the schedule for next semester.

On a side note, if you haven't seen the student group you've been searching for why not start one? FUSE is looking for students that are interested in starting projects under the FUSE name. We are open to any subject matter and interest. If you'd like to talk about a project or join FUSE please contact Steve C (cour0096@umn.edu)

Never fear, below is a brief synopsis of what you my have missed. All of out panelists expressed a willingness for students to contact them with further more in-depth questions. So, if you have a burning question, contact Larisa G. gars0020@umn.edu and she’ll pass on the contact info. for any and all of our fabulist panelists.

Morgan Kingsted, a former English undergraduate Peer Advisor and English major who graduated in May 2005, is currently a high school English teacher at Sage Academy, a charter school in the Twin Cities. She spoke about the differences that she has experienced first-hand between public schools (more money for basic class room items like staplers and pencil sharpeners) and charter schools (less red tap, more freedom to tailor the curriculum to students’ needs). She discussed the importance of internship opportunities at the U of MN and how much receiving an internship scholarship from CCLC (the Career and Community Learning Center) helped her finance her unpaid internship. Ms. Kingsted recommended taking a service-learning course, such as Engl 3741, if you think you might have an interest in teaching. She would be happy to talk with any interested students.

Academic background: English BA May 2005, 5-8,9-12 Communication Arts and Literature Teaching License (2006), Masters in English Education (2007) K-12 Reading License (to be completed Fall 2009), just started 9-12 Biological Sciences License (to be completed a few years down the road)

Chris Sullivan, a former English and Computer Science major who graduated in 1993, began his career in the non-profit sector, which eventually led him to pursue a law degree. After graduating from the William Mitchell College of Law in 2005, Mr. Sullivan joined the firm of Lindquist & Vennum PLLP where he handles patent, trademark, and copyright issues. One of his recent cases involved a copy write dispute over an elk sculpture (no, we’re not kidding). He would be happy to talk with any interested students.

Academic background: Education: William Mitchell College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2005); assistant editor, William Mitchell Law Review, University of Oxford, England (International and Comparative Intellectual Property Program, 2003), University of Minnesota (B.A., Computer Science, English, 1993); Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society

Danielle Kasprzak, a Spring 2007 English major graduate, is an Editorial Assistant at the University of Minnesota Press. Editorial assistants provide support to the acquisitions editors in developing and acquiring scholarly titles. This includes a variety of activities, such as heading the external review process, which involves researching and contacting potential external reviewers and drafting project summaries for internal and faculty board meetings; working closely with authors to secure permissions for illustration and previously published materials, which is often a time-consuming and complex process; and reviewing and preparing manuscripts to assure stylistic consistencies before sending to production. She strongly suggested that any and all students interested in the publishing field should find an internship – paid or unpaid – at a publishing house before they graduate from the U of MN and start trying to get a job in the publishing field. She mentioned several presses in the Twin Cities that are open to hiring interns: Graywolf Press, Coffee House Press, Milkweed Press, and the University of Minnesota Press. She also encouraged students to contact professionals in the publishing field to meet and discuss opportunities, which she would be more than happy to do with any and all interested students.

Academic background: B.A. (summa cum laude) in English and American Studies from the University of Minnesota Spring 2007

Congratulations to Thomas D. to being nominated for this month's Engaged English Scholar of the Month recognition. Thomas is a sophomore English Honors English major. Along with his serious work inside the classroom he is a Community Engagement Scholar( http://www.servicelearning.umn.edu/cesp/programdetails/index.html), agreeing to perform over 400 hours of community service. Thank you Thomas for your commitment to excellence. We hope that you continue your hard work in the classroom, at the U and in the Minneapolis-St. Paul community!

Here's what Thomas says about getting involved:

• Why is it important to you to get involved?

Getting involved with extra-curricular activities, such as research or community-based volunteering, builds a diverse education. Work done outside the classroom encourages creativity and builds personal character. Creativity defines “scholarship� and necessitates a diverse education!

• How has getting involved changed your education?

I have been actively volunteering at a local library teaching English-language-learners the basic tenants of American life. Though the classroom elevates my thinking and builds intellect, volunteer work grants a sense of accomplishment and humility unobtainable in school. It is uniquely gratifying and contributes to my education by cultivating social skills necessary for future study and occupation.

• Has getting involved changed your career path?

Though I had planned since a young boy to become an attorney, my volunteer work and English studies have led me to pursue a teaching and research career in English Education. Volunteer teaching and research has changed my career path indefinitely!

• What suggestions do you have for other students that are interested in getting involved?

First, I would recommend the Community Engagement Scholars Program (CESP). The program requires volunteer work and engages many social issues according to one’s areas of interest. Second, I would certainly encourage students to “get-tight� with their professors. Their wealth of knowledge motivates scholarship and stimulates our learning. Get the most out of your education by getting involved!

Thanks for your commitment to excellence Thomas! Think you have what it takes to be nominated? Contact one of your professors and tell them to nominate you!

English and philosophy senior Sarah Choy was honored at the 2008 Equity and Diversity Breakfast November 20 at the McNamara Center with a $1000 Sue W. Hancock SEED of Change Award. The awards go to students engaged with issues of equity and diversity through outstanding academic achievement and activism. Choy is involved with the English Undergraduate Studies Committee, Minnesota Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf, and Mu Daiko Theater. Along with her major coursework, she has taken American Sign Language classes. "Although my main fields of study are English and Philosophy," notes Choy, "I find myself pouring a lot of my energy into the American Sign Language Department as a tutor. A few years ago, my mother found herself on her way to Deafness which drove me to learning the language; the University has given me the skill to communicate with her."

You missed a lot! On Thursday, November 20th three Alumni came and spoke about their experience using their English major in the professional world. The panel members spoke about publishing novels, reinterpreting books into plays and creating online literary journals.

Some of the major themes include:
- The English Major prepares students for any job because it teaches critical interpretation, effective communication (verbal and textual) and creativity!
- Employers look for candidates that are effective in communication!
- Students should feel confident presenting their English Major as an asset (go into an interview proud to have studied English!)
- If you can't find your dream job make it up! Bring your skills and hobbies to your job. By adding personality to your job you'll make it more enjoyable and your boss will take notice!

The panel touched on these topics and more. If you'd like more information about the panel discussion please send an e-mail to Josh Capodarco (capod001@umn.edu).

Don't forget that we still have two more What Can I Do with a Major in English panels available on Tuesday, November 25th and Thursday, December 4th. We hope to see you there!

A reminder that the next meeting will be 4:30 pm Wednesday November 19 in Lind 207A. The topic: a review of the tricks of the trade necessary to conduct the best interview ever.

ENGL 3351W: Voices from the Gaps: Writing and Art by Women of Color

M, W 2:30-4:35, Lind 217

Instructor, Sara Cohen

The Spring 2008 section of Voices from the Gaps will concentrate on Latin American and Caribbean Jewish women writers of color in order to ask what each of these terms means ("Latin American," "Caribbean," "Jewish," "of color") and to look at the different ways that these diasporic identities intersect and are represented in the literature of Achy Obejas, Ana-Maurin, Lara, Alicia Kozameh, and Ana María Shua, among others. We will be reading genres ranging from memoir to magical realism in addition to theoretical works about the concepts of mestizaje, borderlands, and Diaspora. We will also think about the significance of these concepts, particularly borderlands and Diaspora, in relation to cyberspace--which is where we will publish some of our work on these writers.

This class is associated with the award-winning Web site Voices from the Gaps (http://voices.cla.umn.edu), a web-based project that recognizes the work of a transnational community of women writers and artists of color maintained by the English department here at the University of Minnesota. Part of the intention of this class is to get work produced by students published on the Web site, thus satisfying the dual purposes of enriching the content of the site while showcasing the students' academic achievements. The Web site includes artists' biographies, book reviews, and interviews, all of which we will be producing as assignments for this class.

*This class Meets CLA requirements for Cultural Diversity Theme, Other
Humanities Core, and Writing Intensive.*

Come to one of three "What Can I Do with a Major in English" sessions to find out. This is your chance to hear from U of M alumnus talk about how their English degree gave them the edge in the professional world. Three sessions are offered with unique opportunities:

On Thursday, November 20th between 12:20 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. in Lind Hall 203 you can come and talk with Alumnus currently working in the Creative Writing Field. Participants will include published authors, a dance critic and graduates from the U of M's MFA in Creative Writing program.

On Tuesday, November 25th between 8:00 a.m. and 9:55 a.m. in Lind Hall 203 you can come and talk with Alumnus currently working in the Publishing field. If you are interested in publishing this is your chance to get the edge on the competition!

Finally, on Thursday, December 4th between 4:40 p.m amd 6:35 p.m. in Amundson Hall 124 you can come and talk with Alumnus about other career paths as an English major!

These meetings are open to the public but you are encouraged to send an e-mail to confirm your attendance. If you have questions or would like to register please contact Josh Capodarco (capod001@umn.edu). We hope to see you all there!

Don't worry! We got you covered. This past Thursday, November 6th, students met with Learning Abroad Center staff, Professors and other U of M students to talk about studying abroad. They asked questions like: how do I choose a program? What do I need to do before I can go? and How much does it cost?

Some of the major themes of the meeting focused on two great opportunities for students:
Are you thinking of studying abroad but don't want to spend an entire semester? Then May Session Global Seminars are great for you. This May the English Department is offering a special Global Seminar in Montpellier, France. This is a 3 week, 3-credit program where students will:
- Trace the steps of authors that wrote in southern France. Readings will include R.L. Stevenson, Joseph Conrad, Tracy Chevalier and more.
- Write your own Travel Memoir,
-Participate in Excursions around Montpellier and to busy port city of Marseille, Aigues Mortes, and the Cevennes.
No knowledge of French is required! Please contact April Knutson knuts001@umn.edu with more information. You can also find more information by visiting: http://www.UMabroad.umn.edu/programs/global_seminars/programs.html

Also, SPAN (Student Project for Amity Among Nations) is offering unique options for going abroad. This year SPAN is offering unique study abroad programs to The European Union and Greece. SPAN is a program designed for students that are interested in conducting independent research. SPAN helps you develop an understanding of the host country, prepare your thesis and conduct your research while in country. You can recieve up to 8 University of Minnesota semester credits for your participation.
For more information contact: span@umn.edu or call 612-626-1083.

Finally, if you still haven't found what you are looking for please visit the Learning Abroad Center's website (http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/). LAC staff can help you find a program, give you advice about financial aid and help you with any questions. You can stop by 230 Heller Hall and begin your search!

If you have any further questions or want to know more about this meeting in the English Department please contact Josh Capodarco (capod001@umn.edu). Thank you to all the participants for making another Thursday Conversation possible.

The Fellowship of Undergraduate Students of English (FUSE) and Ivory Tower, the U of M's Undergraduate literary magazine, will be paring up this semester to bring you a writing workshop! This workshop is designed to help you workshop your creative work in preparation for a Ivory Tower submission deadline of December 1st. This is your chance to hear what Ivory Tower thinks of your piece before you submit it!

The workshop will be lead by a guest speaker and a current U of M MFA student in creative writing. Come to Nolte Lounge on November 13th between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Free cookies and ice cream will be provided!

This is a great chance to meet fellow creative writers and get feedback on your writing. Also, this is your chance to get published by submitting your work to Ivory Tower!

More information can be found by visiting: http://www.ivorytower.umn.edu/

If you have questions please contact ivory@umn.edu

Congratulations to Emily L. for being nominated as November's Engaged English Scholar of the month! We would like to thank Emily for her commitment to excellence during her Undergraduate experience. Emily is a senior English Major. She has been involved with student research and community work. Along with her different learning experiences through HECUA and UROP, Emily has volunteered at a local high school.

Here's what Emily has to say about getting involved:

• Why is it important to you to get involved?

Getting involved and campus and in the community is important for two reasons. First, I think it's all too easy, when you're in college and on a campus and large and comprehensive as ours, to forget that there is bigger picture. Which brings me to the second reason for getting involved: it brings a whole new aspect to you education. Using my knowledge and skills to run an organization, to influence my peers, to better my community has helped me understand my classroom experiences in new ways. It has provided a context for my education-- I know that I am not just going to school of the sake of a degree, but that research in literature can be socially responsible, an act of social change.

• How has getting involved changed your education?

Getting involved in other educational pursuits, including HECUA (http://www.offcampusstudy.umn.edu/hecua/) and UROP (http://www.research.umn.edu/undergraduate/) ; on campus with my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega; and in the community, volunteering in a high school classroom, for example, has helped me understand how my academic interests can mean in the world. It helped me decide to pursue graduate school and also just to have more fun while I'm here.

• Has getting involved changed your career path?

I came to the U planning to become a high school English teacher. Through my involvement on campus, I began to realize that this career path was not going to be enough to satisfy me. I started to think about a career in the nonprofit sector. Through my experience with HECUA's Metro Urban Studies Term, however, I came to realize that this was not the right plan for me either. I began to think about a career in academia, and the UROP program reinforced my love of research, and helped me understand how I could combine my passion for literature with my commitment to social justice by pursuing socially relevant and responsible research.

• What suggestions do you have for other students that are interested in getting involved?

Read your English newsletter! There is so much going on at this campus, so many opportunities for involvement-- so many that it's easy to miss them. Try out some student groups and network with people who share your passions and goals.

Thanks to Emily for her hard work. We hope she continues her in-class excellence and community work. Are you interested in being nominated as the Engaged English Scholar in December? Talk to one of your professors about your current community work and see if they'll nominate you. All nominations and other questions can be sent to Josh Capodarco (capod001@umn.edu)

Plan to attend the "Faculty Roundtable on the Job Market" Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 4 pm in 207A Lind. Four dynamic faculty members advise about interviewing, applying, and more. Whether you're on the job market this year or not, you are welcome to come ask questions and benefit from faculty experience. Refreshments!

If you missed this Thursday's Conversation with professionals from the Journalism/Publication/Editing field you missed a lot! Students met with four presenters that explained how one makes money in the market, how one gets started writing and what it takes to be a professional writer.

If you are interested in further information about the meeting, such as presenters and information provided at the meeting please contact Josh Capodarco capod001@umn.edu. Also, if you are looking for an internship or work in the journalism field e-mail Josh for more information!

Thanks to all of our presenters that helped make another Thursday Conversation possible!

Haven't seen what you'd like yet? Check out all of the upcoming Thursday Conversations located at the English Undergraduate website.

An entertaining aside in the New York Times Style magazine "Fall Travel" edition cites Professor David Treuer along with FlatPak house architect Charles Lazor as evidence of the Twin Cities' healthy intellectual climate. The article, about up-and-coming second tier cities, names Minneapolis-St. Paul the "new New York."

Are you a part of FUSE yet? Did you miss the first meetings but are still interested? Then don't hesitate to check out a meeting of FUSE and find out ways that you can get involved with exciting Literary events going on through out the community.

The first Literary event that FUSE will be attending will be Voices Merging on Monday Oct. 13 at 8:00. FUSE will be meeting at the Fireside Lounge on the 1st floor of Coffman at 7:30, and then everyone will head over to 2-650 Moos Tower.

FUSE has also tapped into the vibrant creative writers through out campus. Work shopping and discussing readings suggested by fellow members from other slightly more famous authors is the order of the day at FUSE meetings held every Wednesday 3:30-5:30 in Coffman Memorial Union. Meetings are held either in Room 301 or Room 302 so make sure that you e-mail Stephen, cour0096@umn.edu, or Larisa, gars0020@umn.edu, before you head out to the meeting. Also, if you would like to be a part of the weekly FUSE e-mail, please let either Stephen or Larisa know via e-mail. Thanks and we look forward to seeing you there

Don't worry! In case you were unable to attend, here is what happened:

Members of Ivory Tower and Voices Merging met with interested students and talked about what they do, how they do it and how students can get involved.

What is Ivory Tower? The Ivory Tower is the U of M's Literary magazine produced for and by Undergraduates. They release yearly print and e-publications. Ivory Tower is currently looking for poetry, fiction, non-fiction and art submissions for their new publication! Check out their website to see last year's publication and learn how to submit: http://www.ivorytower.umn.edu

What is Voices Merging? Voices Merging is a student based artist coalition. All forms of performance and visual art are welcome including: spoken word, poetry, dance, song, musical instrument, visual art, etc. They have open mics every second and forth Monday of each month in Moos Tower, room 2-650. Open mics are from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. but performance sign up starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information contact oncevoice@umn.edu

If you're interested in learning moreplease contact Josh Capodarco (capod001@umn.edu)

Thanks to Ivory Tower and Voices Merging for making another Thursday Conversation possible!

Congratulations to Larisa G. for being recognized as October's Engaged English Scholar of the Month. Thank you Larisa for your commitment to excellence!

Larisa is a senior Honors English major and French Major. She has been involved with student organizations and community work. Along with her work outside the classroom, Larisa dedicates her time to helping other Undergraduates as one of the Undergraduate Studies office’s Peer Advisors. Larisa is a dedicated student who is currently working on her Suma Cum Laude Thesis.

What does Larisa have to say about getting involved?

"My education has been broadened, strengthened and challenged by my work outside of the classroom. During my work as an ELL teaching assistant at Cedar Riverside, I was forced to consider the value of an English education. It is so important to work both within and outside the walls of academia so that you learn to understand real-world complexities of many different kinds of existence."

What suggestions does she have for students interested in getting involved?

"Students that are interested in getting involved should try to find their niche. Read the English listserv and go to some off campus events that will augment both your academic career and your personal growth. Also, check out some of Eric Daigre’s classes. I got started at Cedar Riverside because of Eric’s 3741 Literacy and American Cultural Diversity course and it was an awesome experience!"

Larisa's picture is on display in Lind Hall 227, the Undergraduate Studies advising office. Please stop by and take a look! Are you interested in getting nominated as the Engaged English Scholar of the Month? If you feel you have what it takes talk to one of your professors and suggest your name for nomination. If you're nominated you'll be recognized with a fun prize!

Thank you Larisa for bringing excellence to the Undergraduate Studies program!

Questions? Please contact Josh Capodarco (capod001@umn.edu).

MFA candidate Benjamin Arda Doty was shortlisted for Ireland’s Sean O’Faolain Short Story Prize. The winner is Julia Van Middlesworth. Doty was one of nine runners-up, chosen from over 700 entries. Doty's fiction and poetry have appeared in a number of literary journals. He spoke with Pike Magazine about being recognized for his work in Ireland.

eNow! co-sponsors a rare appearance by poet, essayist, and translator Nathaniel Tarn at the Twin Cities Book Festival 11:30 am Saturday October 11, 2008. A respected anthropologist as well as a writer, the poet weaves "mythology and philosophy, nature and science, and anguish and love into a moving exploration of what it means to be human." Free and open to the public.

The English Undergraduate Office can help you write your personal statement for application to Graduate and Professional school. On October 9th in 207A Lind Hall 1pm-2:15pm, we will have faculty and graduate students available to answer all of your questions and to offer useful tips! We hope to see you there on Oct. 9th so mark your calendars and bring your questions!

Can't make it to the meeting? Have questions or concerns about the meeting, advising, etc? E-mail Stephen or Larisa at cour0096@umn.edu and gars0020@umn.edu respectively.

Every Thursday come grab some free refreshments and talk to Undergraduate students, Graduate students and Alumni that have been involved in the English Department at the University of Minnesota. Waltz in, grab a chair and start asking questions. The sessions are free to all interested English Majors and Minors. All sessions are open between Noon and 2:00 p.m. You are free to come and go as you please. All sessions will be held in the English Undergraduate Study Lounge located in the back of the English Office in Lind Hall 227. See below for Dates:

October 9 – Come meet some English Undergraduates involved in Student groups at the U: Members of the following student groups will be present: Voices Merging, Ivory Tower and the Arts Quarter Club.

October 16 – Come meet some English Department Alumni currently working in the Editing/Journalism field.

October 23 – Come meet some English Majors and Minors involved in community work. Hang out and ask them how they got involved, what they are doing now and how community involvement has changed their life and their education.

October 30 – Come meet some English Undergraduates involved in Student groups at the U: Members of the following student groups will be present: The Minnesota Daily, The College of Liberal Arts Student Board and PRISM.

November 6 – Come meet some Undergraduate students, Graduate Students and Professors that have been involved or worked with study abroad. Meet students returning from spending time abroad alongside members of the Learning Abroad Center.

November 13 – Come meet some radical professors at the U. These professors, from a variety of fields will be there to discuss their research, their outreach and how they are trying to transform the world through education. Professors TBA

November 20 – Come meet some graduate students currently involved in the U of M’s Master of Fine Arts Graduate program. Grab some coffee, bring your favorite book or poetry and see what it’s like to continue your education as an MFA student. Directly following the session there will be an info session for the MFA in Lind Hall so feel free to skip on over to Lind 207A.

December 4 – Don’t know who we are? Come meet the staff of the Undergraduate English Office. Stop by, grab some coffee and ask us what we do! (we work for you, right?)

Did you miss the September 24th meeting on UROP but still want to find out more? Just stop by the Undergraduate office in Lind 227 and ask for Larisa. She can fill you in on what you missed and suggest two different English major student contacts who are happy to speak with prospective UROP students about their experiences as English majors with UROP. You can also e-mail Larisa with your questions at gars0020@umn.edu!

Remember, the deadline for UROP submission proposals is October 6th. Students who are awarded UROP grants during this semester will conduct their research during Spring Semester 2009. The application deadline for UROP submission proposals for Spring Semester 2009 with research to be conducted in Summer 2009 or Fall 2009 is March 2, 2009. It's never too early to start planning to apply for UROP!

A Fall Welcome Luncheon and Meeting of Graduate Students will be held in 207A Lind, Wednesday, 8 October, from 11:15 AM to 1PM. This will be an opportunity to discuss plans for the year to include among others: our new initiative of faculty observation of graduate student teaching, the Department's new dossier account with Interfolio, fall fellowships, spring teaching assignments, May and summer teaching. Please RSVP to Karen by Friday 3 October, if you plan to attend the meeting and noon luncheon.

The Undergraduate Studies program would like to welcome our two new peer advisors: Steve Courchane and Larisa Garski.

Steve and Larisa are both Senior English Majors and are ready to help you solve any problems. They are a great addition to the office and we’d love for you to meet them! If you’d like to make an advising appointment please stop by Lind Hall 227 or call 612-625-4592 and schedule an appointment.

Welcome Steve and Larisa and we appreciate all of your work!

Robert Meeropol, younger son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, visits the Department of English amid new revelations and renewed commentary about his parents' participation in espionage in the early '50s and their execution. In his talk October 6, at 4:30 pm, Meeropol will address these developments in addition to speaking on literary representations of the Rosenbergs, such as E. L. Doctorow's The Book of Daniel. Meeropol is the author of We Are Your Sons: The Legacy of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg (1975) with his brother Michael, and An Execution in the Family: One Son’s Journey (2003). There will be a reception for Meeropol at 3:30 pm before the talk. Lind Hall, 207 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis (lecture in room 150; reception in room 207A).

The Department of English welcomes LaRose Davis, who won the prestigious Graduate School Postdoctoral Fellowship and chose to be housed in English. Davis comes from Emory University where her work has centered on African American and American Indian literary and cultural intersections. Olabode Ibironke will be our CIC Postdoctoral Fellow: He has a doctorate from Michigan State University and specializes in African literary history and postcolonial literary theory. Jan Hein Hoogstad is a visiting assistant professor fall semester from the University of Amsterdam; he is teaching Medial Operations: Sound, Music & Digitality. Other visiting adjunct faculty include Debra Blake, Joe Hughes, Tim Jones, Emily Swanson (PhD 2008), and Michael Tortorello. Finally our CIC Fellow from last year, Dan Mrozowski, who students voted "best lecturer of 2008," returns this year to teach a variety of courses on American literature and literary theory.

PhD candidate Ann Pitugshatwong will defend her dissertation on Friday, September 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Lind Hall, Room 202. Her dissertation is titled "Crossing Boundaries: Domestic Fiction and Nineteenth-Century Women's Travel Narratives." All are welcome to attend.

Professor Julie Schumacher wrote the "Modern Love" column in the Sunday, July 6, 2008, New York Times. Schumacher, the director of the Creative Writing Program, will in September publish Black Box, her fourth novel for juvenile readers. Her last such book won a 2007 Minnesota Book Award.

Melissa Shelsby, English BA summa cum laude spring 2008, received a Fulbright as a Teaching Assistant in Korea for 2008-2009. Congratulations, Melissa!

Recent past English alum Teaching Fulbright winners include Dawn Burzlaff (BA 2002, English, Teaching Assistant, Korea) and Paula H. Chesley (BA 2002, English and French, Teaching Assistant, France)

Fulbright Grants are awarded for one year of study, research, teaching, or creative work in one of approximately 100 foreign countries. For complete grant and fellowship information, see Scholarship Information for U of M-Twin Cities Students.

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents named professor Madelon Sprengnether one of four new Regents Professors. The designation is the highest level of recognition given to faculty by the University. Sprengnether, a core faculty member of the Creative Writing Program, has published poetry (The Angel of Duluth), memoir (Crying at the Movies), and criticism. She won a 2003-04 University award for Distinguished Contributions to Post-Baccalaureate Graduate and Professional Education. She joins Tom Clayton and Patricia Hampl as Regents Professors within the Department of English; the only other University department with three Regents Professors is Chemical Engineering.

Associate professor David Treuer is interviewed by American Public Media's Krista Tippett about his recent project, with brother Anton Treuer, compiling the first practical grammar of the Ojibwe language. Professor Treuer describes an unfolding experience of how language forms what makes us human. Some memories and realities, he has found, can only be carried forward in time by Ojibwe. The radio show, part of the series Speaking of Faith, which broadcast in the Twin Cities Sunday, June 22, on KNOW 91.1 FM is now available on-line.

PhD candidate Mitch Ogden will defend his dissertation "Refugee Utopias: (Re)Theorizing Refugeeism through the Cultural Production of the Hmong Diaspora" at 10 am June 26, 2008, in Lind 207A. Ogden examines how Hmong magnetic media (audio and video cassettes) shape a novel concept of homeland, how the many competing Hmong writing systems challenge and uphold cultural and political ideologies, and how a burgeoning literary movement reflects the energy of a dynamic global diaspora. Throughout, he proposes that the persistent cultural image of refugee-as-perpetual-victim be updated, expanded, and discarded in favor of a view that acknowledges the vibrant, creative force of cultural production that animates contemporary refugee communities.

Lois Cucullu (English) and John Campbell (Psychology) share the "Best DGS" award for 2008. A special committee appointed by the dean of the Graduate School selects the recipients. Each receives a $1,000 honorarium and a plaque. There will be a reception to honor the award winners at a celebration on Wednesday, May 14, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Upson Room of Walter Library.

English Literature PhD and Creative Writing MFA defenses are taking place through May 23. PhD candidate Sara Berrey will defend her dissertation at 8:45 am May 14 in Lind 202, followed by PhD candidate Jean Jacobson 1 pm May 23 in Lind 207. MFA candidates defend their creative theses in Lind 207 as follows. May 12: Emily Bright at 1:30 pm. May 13: Phillip Fuller at 9 am; Karen Ahn at noon; and Andrew Luckham at 2:30 pm. May 14: Karen Stout at 10 am; Ann Linde at noon; and Nathan Slawson at 2:30 pm. May 15: Brett Gastineau at noon. May 16: Tara DaPra at 9 am; Jake Mohan at 2:30 pm. For more information, contact the Graduate Studies and Creative Writing Program offices.

On May 15th at 4.30 p.m. in Lind 207A the department will hold a workshop on the job search process for students at all stages in their graduate career. Subjects include what the job search entails and how you might want to begin to prepare for this important process. Following the general workshop on the job search there will be a meeting for all students going on the job market this fall.

Assistant professor Siobhan Craig received the Ruth Christie Distinguished Teaching Award for English for 2008-10. The Ruth Christie prize is decided by undergraduate student voting.

The Department of English MFA / Dislocate Reading Series holds its final 2007-08 event Tuesday, April 29th at 7 pm in Lind Hall 150. Edelstein-Keller Professor in Creative Writing Charles Baxter will read, along with MFA candidates Matthew Burgess, Thomas Cook, and Emily Freeman.

The 2008 Minnesota Book Awards were announced at a gala award ceremony Saturday, April 12th in St. Paul, hosted by Cathy Wurzer of Minnesota Public Radio. Edelstein-Keller Professor in Creative Writing Charles Baxter won the Award for General Nonfiction for The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot (Graywolf Press), which the judges termed an "absolutely stellar explication of texts." Regents Professor Patricia Hampl won the Award for Memoir & Creative Nonfiction for The Florist’s Daughter (Harcourt), described by the judges as "eloquent, bittersweet and consistently well-written." In addition, 2006-07 Edelstein-Keller Minnesota Writer of Distinction Deborah Keenan won the Award for Poetry for Willow Room, Green Door (Milkweed Editions) and spring 2003 Edelstein-Keller Minnesota Writer of Distinction Wang Ping won the Award for Novel & Short Story for The Last Communist Virgin (Coffee House Press).

Congratulations to MFA candidates Emily Freeman and Shantha Susman, who are first and second place prize winners (graduate student category) in this year's ArtWords contest. They will read their work at the ArtWords and ArtSounds Program and Reception 7 pm April 16 at the Weisman Museum. Come hear them read their work at the Weisman on April 16. This is the 10th anniversary of the ArtWords program, in which students write short poems, prose, and (now) musical compositions in response to work in the Weisman's galleries. Reception follows.

Department of English professor Andrew P. Scheil's book The Footsteps of Israel: Understanding Jews in Anglo-Saxon England (University of Michigan Press, 2004) was awarded the Medieval Academy of America’s 2008 John Nicholas Brown Prize for a first book in the medieval field judged to be of outstanding quality. The award was presented at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America, Vancouver, B.C., April 3-5, 2008. The award citation read, in part: "Scheil adds considerable nuance to our understanding of the place (imaginary or otherwise) of Jews in Anglo-Saxon England. However, this study makes a contribution beyond the confines of the Anglo-Saxon period, addressing in detail the function and character of medieval exegesis, of the dialectics of religious thought, and of hermeneutics more generally." Professor Scheil has also received a Solmsen Fellowship for academic year 2008-2009 at the Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The GSO and the Nineteenth-Century British Subfield Symposium takes place Saturday, April 5, from 8 am to 4 pm in Lind Hall 207A. Graduate students from our department and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison will present papers, including: Kate Hannah, "Threats to Masculine Roles, Male Poets, and the Production and Performance of Poetry in the Works of Alfred, Lord Tennyson"; Brenda Helt, "The Victorian Violet Soul: Homospirituality before 'Homosexuality'"; Heather McNeff, "Invitation and Anxiety in the Early Poetry of William Jones"; Sunyoung Ahn, "Liberty and its Use in J.S. Mill's 'On Liberty'"; and Sharin' Schroeder on Lewis Carroll. The Medieval & Early Modern Research Group holds its annual colloquium with guest speaker Katherine Zieman from the University of Notre Dame on Friday, April 11, starting at 11 am in Nolte 235. Graduate students and topics are: John Sievers, "Dryden's Battle with Music in King Arthur: The Bracegirdle Hurdle"; Christopher Flack, "'Mearcstapa': The Acculturation of the Liminal"; and Lindsay Craig, "Damned by Saints Praised: The Old Woman's Invocations in Le Roman de la Rose."

Congratulations to the recipients of 2008 Gesell Awards in Fiction, Creative Nonfiction and Poetry, given to MFA candidates within the Creative Writing Program. Luke Pingel won for poetry, with Jim Novak as honorable mention. The co-recipients for creative nonfiction are Wilson Peden and Katie Leo, with Holly Vanderhaar as honorable mention. Ethan Rutherford won the fiction award, with Laura Owen as honorable mention. The judges were poet Eleanor Lerman, creative nonfiction writer Fenton Johnson, and fiction writer Jim Shepard.

The Department of English welcomes prospective graduate students March 26-30. Events scheduled include a faculty roundtable, library visit, tour of the Twin Cities, and meeting with graduate students. We look forward to meeting you!

This year, we will be able to offer two undergraduate Marcella DeBourg awards at $1000 each. These are not scholarships. If a student has financial aid, the funds will be applied directly to their financial aid account.

The deadline for the DeBourg is Monday, March 24. You must be currently enrolled English undergraduates. The application is a cover letter concerning their interest/project (plus name, address, phone, email, student ID number) and a writing sample of 15-20 pages of prose or 6-8 pages poetry. Applicants should be interested in giving "creative expression to women's lives." This award is open to students of any gender. The prose can be creative or academic. The criteria is the quality of writing. Submissions should be brought to the Creative Writing Program Office, 222 Lind Hall, by the deadline date.

Tuesday, February 19
4:30-5:30pm
150 Lind Hall

Come find out about research opportunities in the English department! Work with distinguished faculty through UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities) or research women and minority writers through Voices from the Gap. Hear the latest on faculty research opportunities, and listen to undergraduates and professors talk about their past collaboration together. Oh yeah, did we mention REFRESHMENTS?

English professor and chair Paula Rabinowitz will be honored February 13 as the 2008 CLA Dean's Medalist. Rabinowitz will present the address "Chairs: Frida's Hair/Vincent's Ears" at the program, which begins at 3 pm, in Cowles Auditorium. The CLA Dean's Medal was created by an anonymous donor to reward a faculty member's excellence in scholarship or creative activity. Rabinowitz is Samuel Russell Chair in the Humanities.

APPLY BY FEBRUARY 15, 2008.
Application forms are now available for the 2008-09 CLA Continuing Student Scholarships. There are nearly 20 types of scholarships offered through CLA with over 100 scholarships expected to be awarded. Scholarships range from $400 to $5,000 for the 2008-09 academic year. Some are specifically for English majors! Information about all CLA Continuing Student Scholarships can be found at http://scholarships.cla.umn.edu/continuing_students/. Warning: Careful Reading Required!

Applications and supporting materials must be submitted to the Undergraduate Programs office in 113 Johnston Hall no later than 4 p.m. on Feb. 15th, 2008.

Two graduate students are published in the Winter 2007-08 Rain Taxi Review of Books: Nick Hengen reviews Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialism is a Humanism in the print edition, and Ryan Cox interviews legendary Canadian poet Steve McCaffery in the on-line issue.

"from Hallelujah Blackout," by alum Alex Lemon, will be included in the 2008 edition of Best American Poetry, selected by Charles Wright. Alex's chapbook Abracadaver is in the most recent issue of Black Warrior Review. Another chapbook, At Last Unfolding Congo, was just released by horse less press. . . . Alums Michael Seward, Jay Orff, and Kate Hopper received 2008 Minnesota State Arts Board Grants. . . . Alums Laura Flynn, Rachel Moritz, and Charlie Conley received SASE Emerging Artist Fellowships for 2008. Alum Carla-Elaine Johnson was a finalist. . . . Alum Karen Rigby has a poem forthcoming in Black Warrior Review.

In 1980, the feminist subfield was initiated in the Department of English. To mark more than a quarter century of feminist achievements in literary research, we are hosting a spring semester inquiry into the place of feminist theory in British literary studies. IMPACTS: Feminist Theory and British Literary Studies will kick off March 5 with Rutgers professor Kate Flint (The Woman Reader, 1827-1914) and continue with Brown professor Nancy Armstrong (Desire and Domestic Fiction: A Political History of the Novel) on April 9 and NYU professor Mary Poovey (The Proper Lady and the Woman Writer) on April 30.

MFA candidate Dhana-Marie Branton (nonfiction) received an SASE Emerging Writer Fellowship and a Minnesota State Arts Board Grant for 2008. MFA candidates Emily August (poetry) and Emily Freeman (fiction) were finalists for the SASE fellowship. . . . MFA candidate Laura Owen (fiction) received a Minnesota State Arts Board Grant for 2008 and was also a finalist for the SASE fellowship. . . . MFA candidate Katie Leo-Keast received a Cultural Collaboration Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board in collaboration with Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins. She has been commissioned to adapt the children's book Baseball Saved Us. The book is about Japanese internment camps, and the grant will enable Katie to travel to LA and conduct archival research at the National Japanese American Museum. . . . MFA alum Amanda Fields has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her short story "Boiler Room," featured in the Indiana Review.

The Libraries, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice-President for Research, will present a workshop, "Grant Funding for Graduate Students," on February 20 (12:30-1:45 pm, Walter Library First Floor). Learn how to locate internal and external funding sources, search funding databases, and set up alerts for new funding opportunities. Registration required; for questions, contact Julie Kelly at jkelly@umn.edu.

In the next job search workshop, we will cover such topics as on-campus interviews, adjunct work, spring job listings, various forms of "damage control" for the job market, "what do I do now," etc. Please bring any questions you might have about this stage of the job search process, whether you expect to have on-campus interviews or not. Thursday, January 10, from 2-3 pm, 207A Lind Hall.

Regent Professor Patricia Hampl's fifth memoir, The Florist's Daughter, was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2007 in the Sunday Book Review.

Current MFA candidates Kevin O'Rourke (poetry), Jake Mohan (nonfiction), and Philip Fuller (fiction) will read Tuesday, December 4, at 7 pm, along with Creative Writing Program Director Julie Schumacher, who will unveil a new story. Lind 150, Taylor Library. . . . MFA alum Margie Newman reads with Sandra Benitez and Donna Trump in a Loft Mentor Series Reading 7 pm Friday, November 30, at Open Book (1011 Washington Ave. S., Mpls.). . . . MFA alum Eric Dregni presents a reading, quiz and slide show regarding his books Midwest Marvels and Weird Minnesota at Common Good Books (Selby & Western, St. Paul) at 7 pm, Saturday, December 1. . . . MFA alums Amanda Coplin and Susan Taylor read at the Happy Gnome (498 Selby Avenue, St. Paul) Tuesday, December 4 at 5 pm.

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon will talk about "The Eternity of the Poem" this Wednesday November 28, at 7:30 pm, in Coffman Theater. Muldoon is most currently the author of the collection Horse Latitudes. In a recent interview, he states, "All my books are potboilers." The Esther Freier Endowed Lecture is free and open to the public and will be followed by a book-signing and reception.

On Monday, November 12, 4-5:30 pm, the Department is hosting a faculty roundtable on the job market. Michelle Wright, Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley, Nabil Matar, and Maria Damon have generously agreed to provide an inside scoop on the state of the profession. This is a wonderful chance to hear their words of wisdom. Please come even if you're not on the market this year, and bring a friend. Refreshments! 207A Lind Hall.

The Department of English's eNow! series of faculty and graduate student presentations continues with a special program on language: English associate professor Evelyn Ch'ien addresses the question "Is English Getting Weirder?" with reference to novelist Juno Diaz, visiting professor Steven Winduo reads his poems in the Tokpisin Pidgin language, and Linguistics and Cognitive Science graduate student Ellen Lucast explores "What Do You Know? Theory of Mind in Communication." All welcome. Refreshments! Monday November 19, 2:30 pm, Lind Hall 207A.

Put Down the Book and Talk to Someone!

FUSE, the Fellowship of Undergraduate Students of English, invites majors to meet each other in a variety of settings. The mission of FUSE, according to its founding members, is “to connect to the literary pulse of the Twin Cities and provide a dynamic student community for English majors at the University of Minnesota.�

Regular Activity:
*weekly English Study Nights, every Tuesday night, 6pm-9pm at Marrakesh Coffee in Dinkytown, to hash out ideas for the next paper, discuss recently-read books, or just hang out!

For more information on events, study nights, and other activities, students can contact: UMN.FUSE@gmail.com, check out the FUSE website, and “Put down the book and talk to someone!�

The oratorio To Be Certain of the Dawn, by composer Stephen Paulus and Department of English professor Michael Dennis Browne, is nearly sold out for its single performance at Orchestra Hall on Tuesday, February 12, with the Minnesota Orchestra. The orchestra has announced tickets for the dress rehearsal, at 10 am that day. The Minnesota Orchestra debuted the oratorio two years ago at the Basilica of St. Mary and will be recording it for Bis Records after the February performance. Music director and conductor Osmo Vanska talks about the work.

Congratulations to associate professor Andrew Scheil, who received a McKnight Presidential Fellowship. The Fellowship recognizes promising faculty who recently gained tenure and the rank of associate professor. The awards include three years of research support. Scheil is currently on sabbatical with a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship.

Leigh Herrick, English and French summa cum laude graduate, University of Minnesota, is published in COST OF FREEDOM: The Anthology of Peace & Activism in which she has two poems. Leigh Herrick is a multimedia artist. Discover her work on mnartists.org.

PhD candidate Mitchell P. Ogden is a recipient of the Harold Leonard Memorial Fellowship in Film Study for 2007-8. As part of the fellowship, he is headed to Thailand at the end of September for three weeks with Hmong American filmmaker Moua Lee on Lee's film shoot there.

Among the research and creative collaboration groups chosen by the Institute for Advanced Study for 2007-08 support was the Performance and Social Justice Collaborative, convened in part by English professor Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley. With choreographer Ananya Chatterjea, the group fashioned Pipaashaa, extreme thirst, an Ananya Dance Theatre performance debuting September 6-9 at the Southern Theater. Pipaashaa, extreme thirst, explores the impact of environmental degradation in the lives of communities of color across the divides of North and South.

MFA candidate Emily Freeman (fiction) and MFA alumna Margie Newman (nonfiction) have been selected for the 2007-2008 Loft Mentor Series. The Mentorships, presented by the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, offer advanced criticism and professional development opportunities to twelve writers a year. Three MFA alumni were finalists: Marge Barrett, Wendy Fernstrum, and Jennifer Johnson.

Danika Stegeman (BA 2005 summa cum laude) makes her publication debut with the poem "Here, 1,475' above the Ocean" in The Denver Quarterly (Vol. 41:4). Stegeman is currently an MFA candidate in Creative Writing at George Mason University. . . . Sam Kean (BA 2002 summa cum laude) wrote "Uncommon Reading," about common-reading programs for freshmen, for the September Writer's Chronicle. Kean also contributes to The Chronicle of Philanthropy and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

English/Theater student Colin Waitt performs in Bards, a Fringe Festival comedy presented August 3 through August 12 by Four Humors Theater. Bards follows spies Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare on a dangerous mission for the Queen. Four Humors Theater was founded by University of Minnesota students. All involved with the production are either past or current students. All performances are at the Southern Theatre on the West Bank.

Timothy Sweet (PhD 1988) was awarded the 2006 Richard Beale Davis Prize for his article "'What Concernment Hath America in These Things!' Local and Global in Samuel Sewall's Plum Island Passage." The Davis Prize honors the best article published in Early American Literature in a publishing year. Sweet is Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of English at West Virginia University.

MFA candidate Emily August and 2001 MFA alumnus Michael Seward are among the readers at "OUT @ the Library," a special PRIDE event featuring "some of the finest GLBT writers in the Twin Cities." The reading, presented by the Carol Connolly GLBT Reading Series and part of a continuing library exhibit, will take place 7 pm Wednesday, June 27 at the Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall.

The May session class ENGL3020 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes presents student research projects on the final day of class, Thursday, June 7, from 10 am to noon. Instructor Kate Hannah's undergraduates have been investigating topics in the Sherlock Holmes Collection at Andersen Library. Among their featured findings: "The Women of the Sherlock Holmes Canon," "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and His Reading Public," and "Sherlock Holmes and Forensic Science." Interested parties are welcome to attend. Room 120B, Andersen Library. Meanwhile the University of Minnesota Showboat Players present Sherlock's Last Case from June 15 to August 25; and the University co-sponsors the Sherlock Holmes convention Victorian Secrets and Edwardian Enigmas here July 6-8.

Associate professor Rebecca Krug has won the College of Liberal Arts Arthur "Red" Motley Exemplary Teaching Award for 2006-07. She joins six active English professors with this distinction. The award recognizes faculty "who inspire and care, who make themselves approachable, who show an interest in individual students' well-being and in programs for the benefit of students generally, who give of themselves generously in advising, counseling, and directing projects, and who create an active classroom atmosphere." Krug is a medievalist who this past year taught The Story of King Arthur and Women in the Middle Ages. Congratulations Professor Krug!

The Department of English regularly offers courses in film studies. A website set up this spring by Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature for the first time rounds up current classes in cinema studies across the University. The website also profiles faculty with major research interests in film, including English professors Siobhan Craig, John Mowitt, Paula Rabinowitz, and Jani Scandura. The site lists University film collaboratives as well as online resources. This fall's English course offerings in cinema: Craig's The Western, Charles Sugnet's Fiction, Film, & Video from Emerging Nations and African Cinema, Jack Zipes' Fairy Tale Films and the Brothers Grimm and Transformations of the Fairy Tale, and Screenwriting.

Congratulations to Graduate Research Partnership Program awardees and their faculty mentors: Lauren Curtright (John Wright); Mitch Ogden (Jigna Desai); Ethan Rutherford (Julie Schumacher); and Lisa Trochmann (Paula Rabinowitz). . . . Graduate School Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships were granted to Becky Peterson, Stoyan Tchaprazov, Elizabeth Weixel, and Maria Zavialova. . . . This year's Charles Christensen Library Acquisition Prize went to Lindsay Craig and Lucia Pawlowski. . . . Congratulations also to Arlene Kim and Emily Bright, recipients of the Academy of American Poets' James Wright Prize for Poetry.

Two English majors were selected for the 2007-08 Selmer Birkelo Scholarships, which honor 14 high achieving students in the College of Liberal Arts: Libby Issendorf, who is double majoring in English and Journalism, and Amanda Steepleton. Congratulations also to our other 2007-08 English scholarship and award winners.

Professor Julie Schumacher won a Minnesota Book Award for her young adult novel The Book of One Hundred Truths (Delacorte). Awards were announced May 5 in St. Paul. Other Creative Writing professors who have been honored with a Minnesota Book Award include Michael Dennis Browne (twice), Ray Gonzalez, Patricia Hampl, and David Treuer.

The workshop will interest all graduate students in literature programs who intend to pursue a career in academia. Broadly conceived, the workshop’s aim is two-fold: to outline the job search process and to suggest how students at all stages of graduate school can begin to prepare. Following the general workshop, there will be a meeting for all students entering the job market this fall. 2:30 pm, May 14, in Lind 207A.

Poet and fiction writer Cheri Johnson (MFA 2005) was one of four Minnesotans granted $25,000 McKnight Artist Fellowships through the Loft Awards in Creative Prose. Novelist Jane Hamilton judged submissions for the 2007 fellowships. Johnson also has been awarded a seven-month fellowship (in fiction) to the Fine Arts Work Center at Provincetown for 2007-2008.

Emily August won a Steven J. Schochet GLBTA Studies Award for Excellence in Creativity and Scholarship, which is administered by the GLBTA Programs Office. August will be recognized at the Lavender Graduation Ceremony Thursday, May 3rd.

Assistant professor Tony C. Brown and associate professor Andrew Scheil received National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships for the academic year 2007-08. They also both received supplemental College of Liberal Arts Research grants.

Congratulations to the following graduate students for securing tenure-track academic positions: Rachel Mordecai, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Amherst, MA); Alex Mueller, SUNY-Plattsburgh (Plattsburgh, NY); Ariane Balizet, California Lutheran University (Thousand Oaks, CA); Karen Steigman, Otterbein College (Columbus, OH); and Marie-Therese Sulit, Mount Saint Mary College (Newburgh, NY). David Wehner, who has been a Post-Doctoral Associate at the Center for Teaching and Learning here at the U, has accepted a tenure-track position at Mount Saint Mary's University (Emmitsburg, Maryland). In addition, Robert Stark will be visiting assistant professor at Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI).

Congratulations to Professor Shirley Garner upon being awarded the Mullen/Spector/Truax Women's Leadership Award for this year. Currently associate dean of the Graduate School, Professor Garner served from 1996 to 2000 as chair of the Department of English, which she joined in 1970.

Dislocate, the literary journal produced by English graduate students, releases its third issue with a party 7:30 pm Tuesday April 17 at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. NE, in Minneapolis. Local poets Jon Vick, Matt Rasmussen, and Portland writer Erin Ergenbright will read. The Ivory Tower, the undergraduate literary magazine and English course, hosts a launch party for their 2007 issue at 6 pm on April 27 at the Weisman Art Museum, Dolly Fiterman Riverview Gallery. Creative Writing chair and professor Julie Schumacher will speak, along with journal contributors and editors.

Kelly Hulander read her paper "'[Her] Kindness...Was Inexhaustible': Condescension and Entitlement vs. Cross-Class Friendship in British New Woman and Socialist Fiction" at the 2007 British Women Writers Conference, University of Kentucky in Lexington, this April. Chris Kamerbeek's article "Parks and Wreck: Anxiety and Amusement at Turn-of-the-Century Coney Island," will appear in the forthcoming Summer 2007 issue of Popular Culture Review. Gregg Murray presented: “‘(The Joking Voice, a Gesture I Love)’: Familiarizing Discourse in Elizabeth Bishop’s ‘Manuelzinho’� at the PCA/ACA Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, April 2007; “I Say No More and Walk Barefoot: Feet in Jean Genet’s Le Miracle de la rose� at the Graduate Symposium in Romance Languages at the University of Minnesota, March 2007; and “Historicizing Elizabeth Bishop’s Hierarchical Distance in Brazil� at the Red River Graduate Student Conference in Fargo, North Dakota, February 2007.

This week the Creative Writing Program celebrates its 10th year of awarding the Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing. For information about this week's "Writers at Work" afternoon panels and the April 13 gala, see "Events".

Josh Wallaert will be on hand for the Minnesota premiere of his film Arid Lands 7 pm Thursday April 12 at the Bell Auditorium. Arid Lands is a prize-winning documentary that focuses on land use around the Hanford nuclear site in southeastern Washington state. Wallaert, who co-directed, will discuss the film with University of Minnesota geographers Bruce Braun and George Henderson.

Associate Professor of English David Treuer received a 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship for work on a non-fiction book about contemporary reservation (American Indian) life. This year Treuer also received a McKnight Presidential Fellow Award from the University and an NEH Fellowship to work on preserving the Ojibwe language. Last August he published the novel The Translation of Dr. Apelles and the collection of critical essays Native American Fiction: A User's Manual.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced that Charles Baxter received the Award of Merit for the Short Story, which grants $10,000 and a medal to an outstanding short story writer. The academic year 2007-08 will be Baxter's third as Edelstein-Keller Visiting Professor in the Creative Writing Program of the Department of English; the novelist and short story writer is the author of The Feast of Love.

Professor Maria Damon received the University of Minnesota Distinguished Teaching Award for Outstanding Postbaccalaureate, Graduate, and Professional Education for 2006-07. This award recognizes faculty members for excellence in instruction, instructional program development, intellectual distinction, advising and mentoring, and involvement of students in research, scholarship, and professional development. English professors Madelon Sprengnether, John Mowitt, Edward M. Griffin, and Tom Clayton are previous winners of this award.

Michael Kleine (PhD 1983) is publishing Searching For Latini (Parlor Press), a book about Brunetto Latini, the teacher of Dante. A composition scholar and a poet, Kleine "argues that Latini should be rescued from obscurity, not only because of the literary status of his student but also because of Latini’s promotion of Ciceronian rhetoric during the dawn of the Renaissance and the relevance of his work to contemporary teachers of writing." Kleine is a professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Ellen Messer-Davidow was selected to be a Residential Fellow at the University of Minnesota Institute for Advanced Study for the fall of 2007. . . . Katherine Scheil will be a McKnight Summer Fellow for the summer of 2007. . . . Natasha Tinsley received funding for one year from the President's Faculty Multicultural Research Award for her proposal "Desiring the Blue Lagoon: Sea Crossings and Fluid Identities in Caribbean Literature."

MFA candidate Emily Bright's first chapbook of poetry will be published by Pudding House Press in summer 2007. Bright plans to graduate in 2008.

Shaye Areheart Books, a division of Random House, will publish MFA alumna Amy Shearn's debut novel, How Far is the Ocean from Here? in summer 2008. Shearn received her MFA in 2005.

The Department of English welcomes back to the University of Minnesota Somali novelist Nuruddin Farah, who was a visiting writer in 1988, and Minnesota writer Louise Erdrich, who delivered the Joseph Warren Beach Lecture in Literature here in 1996. Farah and Erdrich met recently at a conference and discovered they had much to discuss, a conversation they will continue with this unique dialogue and reading, 3:30 pm Sunday March 4 at Cowles Auditorium. Farah will be interviewed on National Public Radio's Morning Edition February 23.

Alumna Lauren Fox published her first novel Still Life With Husband on Knopf this month, and on February 16, the New York Times gave it a thumbs up. Reviewer Michiko Kakutani names Fox "a delightful new voice in American fiction," describes her as a blend of Lorrie Moore and Roz Chast, and continues: "Ms. Fox, who earned an M.F.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1998, has an uncanny ability to capture the absurdities of her heroine’s pastel-colored life in Milwaukee, and to map the darker emotional landscape she inhabits."

Congratulations to Associate Professor Katherine Scheil upon being awarded a 2007 BSA (Bibliographical Society of America) Fellowship, "which supports bibliographical inquiry as well as research in the history of the book trades and in publishing history." As professor Scheil outlined in the February 2 ENow! program on archives, she is currently researching the history of reading Shakespeare, especially within women's reading groups in the 18th and 19th centuries.

MFA candidate Josh Wallaert and his co-director Grant Aaker received the "People's Choice" award for their documentary Arid Lands at the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival in Nevada City, CA. The film looks at people who live near the Hanford nuclear site in southeastern Washington and follows the changes to the desert landscape brought about by nuclear industry, housing development, and irrigated agriculture. The documentary, which premiered at Wild and Scenic, has been invited to the Eckerd College Environmental Film Festival in St. Petersburg, FL, in February, and will be screening in April in the Bell Auditorium's "Science on Screen" series.

Laura Flynn (MFA '06) will publish her memoir Swallow the Ocean with Counterpoint Books in early 2008. Flynn was featured in the summer 2006 issue of English at Minnesota as the first Scribe for Human Rights. While she held the Scribe Fellowship, Flynn worked with the Human Rights Program at the U to research and write a story about immigrants detained in Midwest jails on immigration charges. Her memoir, based on her MFA thesis, focuses on Flynn's experience growing up in San Francisco with a mother suffering mental illness.

English Emeritus professor Archibald Leyasmeyer serves as a primary source for a new Minnesota History article about the late Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson (Fences, The Piano Lesson) and his relationship with the Minneapolis Playwrights' Center. Leyasmeyer was board president when Wilson, who had moved to St. Paul from Pittsburgh, received a Jerome fellowship at the Playwrights' Center for 1980-81; in the article, Leyasmeyer recalls this choice as "one of the greatest decisions of my life." That year, Wilson wrote Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

On January 26, English professor Siobhan Craig will moderate as pioneering American avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger introduces and discusses his original films Fireworks, Rabbit’s Moon, Scorpio Rising, and Kustom Kar Kommandos. These are new 35mm blow-up restorations recently released by the UCLA Film and Television Archives. Professor Craig is currently teaching Anger in her undergraduate class The Split and Sutured Self, which focuses on subjectivity in literary, cinematic and theoretical texts from the 20th and 21st centuries. She and Anger will speak 7:30 pm at the Walker Art Center, in Minneapolis.

Erin Altemus, MFA '07, traveled to Northern Ontario last summer to meet members of First Nation communities and record their stories. As she writes in M, Altemus canoed the lakes and rivers of the boreal forest, visiting communities along the way. Her trip was made possible by a Judd Fellowship.

Fiction writer, critic, and social activist Tillie Olsen died January 1, 2007. Olsen visited the Department of English to read from her short story collection Tell Me a Riddle. Another visit came in 1986 on the 100th anniversary of Emily Dickinson's death. Invited by Professor Toni McNaron, Olsen spoke to undergraduates at length about Dickinson. "She was fascinating because she had read the poems so carefully and knew them so intimately," remembers McNaron. "She also talked about the value and distinct privilege of having solitude, since matters of class were always front and center with Olsen." Olsen's 95th birthday would have been January 14th. Her family has requested that everyone touched by her work "gather with friends in their homes or libraries or bookstores and read her work aloud."

Cairo is wonderfully aggravating, with daily protests against the regime’s constitutional amendments, snarling traffic, frequent elevator malfunctions, vernal blossoms on the trees in Zamalek (the rest of the city doesn’t have trees), days both miraculously clear of pollution and others choked with it, Cairoians still wrapped in scarves and sweaters against the chimerical chill in the air, endlessly bemusing cab stories (our driver today had an air freshener advertising Viagra), afternoons lolling in the courtyard at American University–Cairo drinking in the sunlight as if we had just survived a Minnesota winter. On Thursday, I awaited the end of classes with more eagerness than usual, as a friend and I planned on riding horses at the pyramids to catch the sunset. . . . Laura S.

I have met some amazing people overseas and have been presented with travel opportunities I only dreamed of. I spent the Christmas season in Scandinavia with a friend I had met in England, allowing me to spend time in Copenhagen and Stockholm. I have also learned to travel alone, having been to Barcelona, Edinburgh and Glasgow within the past two months. I have scheduled trips to Berlin, Krakow, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, and Dublin. I still want to visit the Netherlands and Italy if time and money allow. Suffice to say, travel is one of my passions along with writing. Studying abroad is the best thing I ever did for myself. Rachel K.

Studying in Durban, South Africa, I cherished the many opportunities to challenge myself as a student, a woman, a member of a family, a traveler, a friend and a world citizen. I was able to really integrate into the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, and made many friends. During an independent study period, I researched the reading patterns of people in two communities in Durban. I surprised myself with the length and depth of my final project. Learning to research and use unfamiliar resources has been such an asset to my education, and I feel more and more confident in my abilities as a member of the greater academic community. I still struggle to realize that I am back in Minnesota permanently as I feel, strangely, that I am home for a visit and will return to Durban sometime soon. Anna K.

All is well in Italy. Italian classes are going well, and I’m finding time to employ the language skills I am learning by cooking in a restaurant at night. Being surrounded by—and being a part of—a culture and community as unique as this one, as well as taking the time to reflect on my own culture in America, has taught me more than I could’ve imagined. More than anything, I’ve learned to appreciate the people: the butcher who I talk to in the market or the old women who sit in the park each afternoon. I am confident that upon my return to the United States, I will appreciate the people of my own community so much more. Mark A.

Hola a todos! Spain is so amazing! It has been wonderful to learn more about the vibrant culture and people here, and I finally feel like my Spanish is sufficient! The family I live with has gone above-and-beyond to make me feel comfortable, and I can't imagine my time here without them. Teaching English at the elementary school has also been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I feel so fortunate to get to explore such an amazing place, and I am thrilled that I now have friends here to come back and visit! Dana B.

Argentina is a fabulous country full of rich culture and diversity unknown to me before my arrival. In Buenos Aires, there is tango dancing in the streets and a leather shop around every corner, not to mention the mouth-watering smell of empanadas! Joya W.

In Montpellier, France, our class visited the Cafe Riche where Joseph Conrad stayed and wrote Mirror of the Sea, one of the novels we read in class. We also read Louis Stevenson's Travels in the Cevannes with a Donkey and got to visit the Cevannes and were accompanied by donkeys! This hands-on experience of the landscapes not only brought the texts alive, but inspired the class to write, realizing what wonderful texts have come due to the inspiration of southwest France. Abbey K.

Living in Australia for five months was amazing. The university system was relaxed, but I had to make sure I worked hard, too. Traveling around the country and to New Zealand was amazing, and there is nothing I would change about my experiences abroad. April T.

Today a friend and I went for a bicycle ride in true Dutch fashion. I even had a chance to ring my bell at people walking in the bike lane! The city of Amsterdam overflows with bicycles. There is a three-story parking garage devoted strictly to bikes and literally no parking garages for cars! My friend even reported being in a bicycle traffic jam. During my bike ride, I really felt like I was participating in Dutch culture. It’s one of the best things I’ve done since arriving here. Bri B.

The following students won CLA grants to support the research and professionalization of graduate students in English: Mitchell Odgen, Becky Petersen, Liz Hutter, Elizabeth Weixel, Sara Berrey, Stoyan Vassilev Tchaprazov, Karen Steigman, Nicholas Hengen, and Adam Schrag.

The VG/Voices from the Gaps website, housed in the Department of English, was named “Best Educational Resource on the Web� this fall by StudySphere. VG is an international website focused on women writers and artists of color. Its trans-national academic community includes students, teachers, artists, and scholars.

The new memoir by Regents Professor Patricia Hampl was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2006. Blue Arabesque: A Search for the Sublime (Harcourt) is, according to Kathyrn Harrison in her New York Times review, "a paean to the act of seeing, celebrating our capacity to be transformed by the truths art holds, recognizing them as . . . holy."

Lightsey Darst (MFA 2003) and Karen Rigby (MFA 2005) received $20,000 2007 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships in Poetry.